The QuasiMondo Family
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Brian Rott (Artistic Director)
Received his BA from UW-Parkside studying acting, directing, and arts management. In addition he spent a semester abroad studying the teachings of Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, and Meyerhold at the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia, through The O'Neil Theater. He has worked as an intern and assistant director on over 10 productions at various regional theaters including Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL), American Players Theatre (Spring Green, WI), Great River Shakespeare (Wynona, MN), and The Guthrie (Minneapolis, MN). In 2005 he founded Loose Canon Theatre in Milwaukee, WI, and directed and produced 8 productions including The American Dream, WASP, The Merchant of Venice, Three Sisters, and Hamlet. In 2009 he began pursuing an MFA in Physical Theatre at the Accademia Dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy; studying masks, clown, commedia dell'arte, acrobatics, cabaret, and puppetry. Brian has also spent time studying internationally at various institutions including: pantomime at Berliner Schule Fur Schauspiel (Berlin, Germany), circus at FLIC Scuola di Circo (Turin, Italy), mask-making with Donato Sartori (Abano Terme, Italy), Balinese Dance & Shadow Puppetry at Tri Pusaka Cakti Arts Foundation with Master Djimat (Batuan, Bali), and physical theatre at the Odin Teatret in Holstebro, Denmark, with Eugenio Barba. In 2011 he co-founded The Quasimondo with fellow graduate students at the Accademia Dell'Arte, devising, acting, and touring four original productions throughout Europe, before moving the company to Milwaukee, WI. He has since directed, devised and acted in 3 productions: Paper or Plastic, The Seagull 3D, and Halloween Tree. |
Jessi Miller
(Associate Artistic Director)
She studied contemporary and Shakespearean styles of acting at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, then travelled abroad to apprentice under Donato Sartori at the Museo Internacionale di la Maschera in Abano Terme, Italy. Her favorite roles include Irina in Loose Canon Theatre’s Three Sisters, Ophelia in Loose Canon Theatre’s Hamlet, and Lady Death in Carte Blanche Studio’s Mein Kampf. She directed Reaching Across the Breach with Loose Canon, a theatrical collaboration with Repairers of the Breach homeless shelter in Milwaukee. This past winter she spent a month in Haiti teaching theatre and circus arts to disaster victims. When Jessi is not acting she is usually dancing, juggling, swinging on Lyra, practicing duo adagio, bouncing on a trampoline, or teaching gymnastics at Racine Gymnastics. Otherwise she is writing a poem, cooking delicious food, or trying to play the piano.
(Associate Artistic Director)
She studied contemporary and Shakespearean styles of acting at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, then travelled abroad to apprentice under Donato Sartori at the Museo Internacionale di la Maschera in Abano Terme, Italy. Her favorite roles include Irina in Loose Canon Theatre’s Three Sisters, Ophelia in Loose Canon Theatre’s Hamlet, and Lady Death in Carte Blanche Studio’s Mein Kampf. She directed Reaching Across the Breach with Loose Canon, a theatrical collaboration with Repairers of the Breach homeless shelter in Milwaukee. This past winter she spent a month in Haiti teaching theatre and circus arts to disaster victims. When Jessi is not acting she is usually dancing, juggling, swinging on Lyra, practicing duo adagio, bouncing on a trampoline, or teaching gymnastics at Racine Gymnastics. Otherwise she is writing a poem, cooking delicious food, or trying to play the piano.
Nick Davia (Lighting Designer)
Bio coming Soon!
Bio coming Soon!
Michael Davis
(Acting Ensemble)
Bio coming soon!
(Acting Ensemble)
Bio coming soon!
Simon Andreas Eichinger (Acting Ensemble)
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Simon has lived in Milwaukee since age six. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He is currently performing and choreographing in his third season with Danceworks Performance Company. He has had the privilege of moving with other Milwaukee based dance companies; Your Mother Dances, Wildspace, Rehma Dance, and Ko Thi, and collaborating with other Milwaukee performing arts companies; Milwaukee Opera Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, First Stage, Florentine Opera Company, The Paris Business Review, Pink Banana Theatre, and Present Music. He has also played around with nationally known dance companies; Pilobolus, David Neuman/Advanced Beginner Group, Ben Munisteri Dance Projects and internationally with Bale Folclorico Da Bahia, in Brazil.
Steve Gallam
(Resident Composer)
Composer, musician, and actor from Milwaukee, WI. He recieved his BA in Music from UW-Parkside, and his MFA in Composition from UWM. You can see him on various local stages across Milwaukee playing in The Naima and The Unknowns. Previous acting credits include The Obsolete Man, and Three Sisters with Loose Canon Theatre. Steve has worked aurally on several theatrical productions, and is a founding member of The Quasimondo. You can see him tearing up various local stages across Milwaukee playing in The Naima and The Unknowns.
(Resident Composer)
Composer, musician, and actor from Milwaukee, WI. He recieved his BA in Music from UW-Parkside, and his MFA in Composition from UWM. You can see him on various local stages across Milwaukee playing in The Naima and The Unknowns. Previous acting credits include The Obsolete Man, and Three Sisters with Loose Canon Theatre. Steve has worked aurally on several theatrical productions, and is a founding member of The Quasimondo. You can see him tearing up various local stages across Milwaukee playing in The Naima and The Unknowns.
Jennifer A. Grundy (Acting Ensemble)
Jennifer has most recently performed in Milwaukee at Carte Blanche Studios in Shel Shocked: Shel’s Shorts and in the 2011 New Playwrights Festival at the Chamber Theatre. She graduated from the New Actors Workshop in NYC in 2008, where she participated in weekly improv shows and delighted in doing a Story Theatre Production called Dick Whittington and His Cat. While in NYC, she performed in several other productions, including Adventures of the Puppet Princess at the Looking Glass Theater and Regina in The Block at the Tank Theater. Prior to NYC, she had the pleasure of working at the Actors Theater of Sacramento, where favorite roles included Laura in The Glass Menagerie and Bunny in The House of Blue Leaves. When she’s not acting, you’ll find her pursing her other passions: the culinary arts, drinking good wine and running. She is a founding member of The Quasimondo, Milwaukee Physical Theatre.
Chris MacGregor (Acting Ensemble)
A senior at UWM pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre, most recently performing as Jack in a UWM Lab Works production of Into the Woods. He is a founding member of The Quasimondo, Milwaukee Physical Theatre.
A senior at UWM pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre, most recently performing as Jack in a UWM Lab Works production of Into the Woods. He is a founding member of The Quasimondo, Milwaukee Physical Theatre.
Sarah Ann Mellstrom
(Acting Ensemble)
Grew up in Minnesota, and has studied in Austria and St. Petersburg, Russia. She received a degree in Russian and Linguistics in New London CT, and has since worked in Western Ireland, and on tall ships, travelling both coasts and the Caribbean. She has been involved with music and theatre all her life.
(Acting Ensemble)
Grew up in Minnesota, and has studied in Austria and St. Petersburg, Russia. She received a degree in Russian and Linguistics in New London CT, and has since worked in Western Ireland, and on tall ships, travelling both coasts and the Caribbean. She has been involved with music and theatre all her life.
Eric Schallhorn
(Technical Director)
Eric is from Racine, Wisconsin, and his passion is and always has been the Theatre. He started working in theatre at Racine’s Horlick High School, and was quickly promoted to construction manager and fly system operating manager. He was accepted into UW Milwaukee’s BFA Technical Theatre and grew to the position of Assistant Technical Director for his final semester working on Three Sisters. He also worked in the scene shop for Hair, By The Bog Of Cats, Lovers’ Quarrels, Sins Of Sor Juana, As You Like It, and Nature of Mutation and in the prop shop on The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot and No, No, Nannette.
(Technical Director)
Eric is from Racine, Wisconsin, and his passion is and always has been the Theatre. He started working in theatre at Racine’s Horlick High School, and was quickly promoted to construction manager and fly system operating manager. He was accepted into UW Milwaukee’s BFA Technical Theatre and grew to the position of Assistant Technical Director for his final semester working on Three Sisters. He also worked in the scene shop for Hair, By The Bog Of Cats, Lovers’ Quarrels, Sins Of Sor Juana, As You Like It, and Nature of Mutation and in the prop shop on The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot and No, No, Nannette.
Lamont Smith (Acting Ensemble)
A desperately draping willow failed to move the breath of a penniless iguana, Lamont Smith’s sandbox is filled with water buckets, plastic shovels, and skewers cactus flowers. Lamont has previously appeared in The Temples of Nadir, an original play by Eric Theis, at The Alchemist, and as Guildenstern in Loose Canon’s Hamlet. A true Renaissance man, when not on stage Lamont can be found silk-screening, grant-writing, and making beer & sausage. In addition he has recently opened Orcanine Abbey, a gallery space for unsung artists.
A desperately draping willow failed to move the breath of a penniless iguana, Lamont Smith’s sandbox is filled with water buckets, plastic shovels, and skewers cactus flowers. Lamont has previously appeared in The Temples of Nadir, an original play by Eric Theis, at The Alchemist, and as Guildenstern in Loose Canon’s Hamlet. A true Renaissance man, when not on stage Lamont can be found silk-screening, grant-writing, and making beer & sausage. In addition he has recently opened Orcanine Abbey, a gallery space for unsung artists.
More info about the ensemble to come soon!!!
